Sherman man drives off Denison Dam

Posted:
Tuesday, November 20, 2012 10:54 PM EST

BRYAN COUNTY, OK - OHP says they believe a Sherman man drove his truck off the Denison Dam bridge deliberately. Troopers say 50 year old, Aristides Sanchez Hernandez, intentionally swerved to the right and went through the guardrail causing his truck to crash to the bottom of the dam, and flip over.

We spoke to a family who watched it all happen.

They say it was the most shocking thing they've ever seen.

"My wife screamed 'oh my God' I mean it was just crazy. I've never seen anything like it in my life," said witness, Andy Strong.

What started as a normal drive across the Denison Dam ended in a dramatic wreck.

"He just veered off and went through the end of this lookout and he didn't hit his breaks or skid or nothing, it's just amazing he's still alive," Strong said.

Strong and his family were coming from Cartwright on the Oklahoma side, heading south over the bridge.

That's when he says the truck in front of them went air born over the right ledge and landed upside down.

"Scared us, we stopped and I ran down there and I saw his arm and hollered for him and I was pretty sure he was dead," said Strong.

Strong says some fishermen saw it happen from the water and they came to help too.

"We went around on the other side of the truck and there was a big fuel spill, so everyone was calling 911 trying to get them here. I was just hollering 'hey is anybody in there, are you alright' just trying to get some response if somebody was alive."

But the driver did not move or make a sound, so strong and the other witnesses waited for help to come.

The man was flown to Parkland Hospital in serious condition.

"The witnesses we talked to witnessed it but really didn't offer any reason why it would have happened," Bill Ray said.